Above photo: Allegheny County Council member Anita Prizio, foreground, and others brace themselves against a cold wind that blew through Pittsburgh’s Freedom Corner during an event calling for single-payer health care on Saturday. Steve Mellon/Pittsburgh Union Progress.
On Saturday, May 31, people across the United States rallied as part of the first National Day of Action organized by National Single Payer to demand Health, not Profit: Put National Single Payer on the Nation’s Agenda. A national single payer healthcare system would cover every person living in the United States and its territories from birth to death and provide comprehensive coverage, including all medically necessary care, medications and therapies, and longterm care.
The reality that healthcare in the US is designed to provide profits for the medical-industrial complex rather than protecting people’s health has spurred a growing coalition of organizations to take action together. The United States is already spending enough to cover every person, but the predatory industries are working to prevent Congress from creating such a system. Winning a public healthcare system will require a popular mobilization of people making that demand.
The May 31 day of action was a strong start. It was co-sponsored by over 130 groups. Actions were held in 25 cities. Below are some of the report-backs from the day.
To learn more and get involved, visit NationalSinglePayer.com.
San Francisco, CA
A rally was held in San Francisco at the Harry Bridges Plaza next to the San Francisco Ferry Building. The rally speakers also talked about the role of the Democratic governor Gavin Newsom and the Democrats in the legislature that have a super majority but have stopped any real move for single payer while taking millions of dollars from the insurance industry, HMO’s and billionaire hedge funds like Blackrock and J.P. Morgan.
Speakers also talked about the privatization of Medicare through medicare advantage and how this is a key way they are privatizing the Medicare system. Also speakers reported that 3.4 million workers and poor will lose their healthcare with the cutback in Medicaid which will be catastrophic. Many of the speakers talked about the present system as bandaids on a broken and corrupt system that excludes people for profits. Trade unionists from SEIU 1021, SEIU 2015 and APWU also spoke and musicians from AFM Local 6 and the Brass Liberation Orchestra performed and led the march from Harry Bridges Plaza to the BlackRock Hedge fund.
Following the rally at the plaza, a march was held to the BlackRock Hedge fund offices. Blackrock owns 8% of United Healthcare which has been denying millions of people healthcare to increase their profits including the use of AI to illegally deny payments for healthcare needs. Speakers also connected the genocide in Gaza and destruction of hospitals and schools and the trillions of dollars being spent by the US government on these crimes while millions of people in the US cannot get national healthcare. The Democrats in California have also supported the trillion-dollar military budget while demanding cutbacks in healthcare and education. The rally was sponsored by the National Day Of Action For Single Payer and endorsed by many organizations.
Charlotte, NC
On May 31st from white coats to union jackets, a diverse wave of passionate advocates surged into the Uptown Government Center rally in Charlotte, united by a bold vision: a Single Payer healthcare system that serves everyone, not just those who can afford it.
Houston, TX
It’s the National Day of Action for National Single Payer! We stand in solidarity in Houston, TX as Healthcare for All Texas!
Kittaning, PA
View this post on Instagram
Oregon
Rallies were held in Corvallis and Medford as part of the “Health Not Profit” movement.